Answer Me This

Ancient Greek reading group welcomes new members

Q: I’m a big fan of Ancient Greek literature. Are there any opportunities on campus for me to pursue this passion?

A: Yes. Starting this quarter, an Ancient Greek reading group has been meeting in the library’s Faculty Lounge about twice a month. (They are currently reading Plato's Euthyphro.) The group includes, from left to right, David Boness (physics), Dave Madsen (history), Yancy Hughes Dominick (philosophy), Emiliano Trizio (philosophy) and Jeff Staley (theology and religious studies). Are you interested in joining? The group is welcoming new members. All faculty and staff are invited. Contact Yancy Hughes Dominick at dominick@seattleu.edu for more information.

Increasing your retirement contribution

Q: I would like to take my July 1 pay increase and add it to my retirement account. How do I change my retirement contribution?

A: There’s a form for that! You can change your retirement contribution at any time; simply complete the form and return it to HR. You can also direct any questions about your retirement options to the Office of Human Resources at 296-5870 or hr@seattleu.edu.

Five ways to be more green

A: As we prepare to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, Karen Price, campus sustainability manager, offers these five ideas for treading more lightly on our planet.

1. Wipe wet hands dry on your pants, skirt or run them through your hair instead of debating if paper towels or air dryers are better. The next time you dry your hands on a paper towel and throw it in the trash think about the greenhouse gases that were created in the oil used to power equipment to harvest and transport trees to a mill, mill the trees, transport the paper towels to the dispenser, then transport them to a landfill. Feel guilty? Air dryers are not the answer because of the oil used for material extraction, fabrication and transportation. I have dried my hands by running them through my hair for about nine years and don’t miss the paper towel experience. I’m even teaching my one-and-a-half year old to wipe her hands on her skirt.

2. Just stop drinking packaged beverages—they’re bad for your health and the environment. Do you recycle the metal, plastic or glass container your beverage came in and feel like you are doing a good thing? Stop and think about the oil that was used by equipment for material extraction, to heat and melt it to form the container; the gas to ship the container to the beverage company, the distributer, the retailer, to your home, then to the recycling plant. Just because the Food and Drug Administration considers packaged beverages a food doesn’t mean that your body’s cells will thrive on sugar, corn syrup and chemicals. Bottled juice without the fruit’s fiber from its peel, for example apple and blueberry, spikes your blood sugar which contributes to diabetes and obesity. I will never give my child bottled beverages; she loves water and smoothies.

3. Eat a lot less meat and dairy—it’ll improve your health and the planet’s. Eating meat produces more greenhouse gas emissions than driving your car was in the news several years ago after a couple scientific reports were published. For example, the Environmental Defense Fund writes on their web site, “If every American had one meat-free meal per week, it would be the same as taking more than 5 million cars off our roads.” Are you still eating the same amount of animal products? Beans and tofu have protein AND fiber, only small amounts of fat and no cholesterol. Quinoa has the highest protein content of any grain and Bon Appétit serves it at their salad bar. Read the New York TimesRethinking the Meat-Guzzler for more background information on the impacts of livestock to our planet’s health.

4. Before you buy something new, evaluate if you really need it—and if you do, buy used. For example, my dentist recommended I buy a Sonicare tooth brush. I saw several new-in-the-box listed on Craigslist for half the $100-200 price. Then I looked at my husband’s Sonicare and saw that I could remove his brush head and twist on another brush head in five seconds. So I decided to share my husband’s Sonicare instead of buying used. I saved myself $50-100. I saved the planet from the environmental stress of material extraction and transportation and the hazardous materials in the battery. The book, Your Money or Your Life, explains how you can get more happiness out of life by spending less, saving more, and thinking about earning and spending money as expending your energy for something of value.

5. Learn about the health risks to you, your family and the environment from the consumer products you use daily. Do not expect the government to protect you—you have to become an informed consumer. The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit team of scientists, engineers, policy experts and lawyers that pores over government data, legal documents, scientific studies and their own laboratory tests to expose threats to your health and the environment. Their research brings to light unsettling facts that you have a right to know. Go to ewg.org to find how the most and least toxic sunscreens, learn why you should get rid of your Teflon pans, download the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, compare the radiation in cell phones, and so much more.

Choosing Alumni Awards recipients

Q: What is the process for selecting Alumni Award recipients?

A: Every year in fall quarter Alumni Relations puts out an invitation, far and wide, asking alumni, faculty and staff to submit nominations in six categories. A subcommittee of the Alumni Board of Governors then votes on the nominees and sends their recommendations to the president and vice president for University Advancement, who give final approval to the awardees.

The following individuals were honored at the 26th Annual Alumni Awards celebration on April 5.

Free tax prep

Q: Can I get my taxes done for free?

A: If your household income is $50,000 or less, the answer is yes. This year, the accounting department in the Albers School of Business and Economics is working with the United Way of King County to provide free tax help at the Yesler Community Center (917 E. Yesler Way). The service is available now through April 16*. SU accounting students are working at the site on Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and tax preparation is also available on Thursdays, 5-9 p.m. For more information, visit Free Tax Preparation.

* Please note that the Internal Revenue Service has extended the deadline for filing taxes to Monday, April 18.

Oldest tree

Q: What is the oldest tree on campus?

A: While its precise age is not known, The Commons has it on good authority that the Enkianthus campanulatus located on the east side of the Admin Building is SU's arboreal elder. Gardener Becki Koukal-Liebe says, “I took an informational campus walk with (SU’s longtime head of Grounds) Ciscoe Morris, and he said the tree had been moved from People’s Park by (Fujitaro) Kubota and that it was the oldest tree on campus.”

Refresher on the atrium in Pigott

Q: What is the official name of the atrium in the Pigott Building?

A: Many refer to this expansive space as “Pigott Atrium,” but that would be incorrect. The name that should always be used is “PACCAR Atrium.” For the record, the company for which the atrium is named should be written as “PACCAR Inc”. The PACCAR Atrium, of course, is home to the Bottom Line café, comfortable furniture and the stunning Chihuly glass sculpture, “Accendo.”

International students at SU

Q: How many international students are enrolled at Seattle University, and what country has the most students represented at SU?

A: According to Ryan Greene, director of the International Student Center, a grand total of 543 international students hailing from 63 different countries are currently enrolled at SU. Countries with the most students represented at SU are:

Carragher Fitness & Wellness Challenge

Q: How many teams participated in last year’s Anne Carragher Fitness & Wellness Challenge and how did they do as a group?

A: Mileva Huljev of Recreational Sports, reports that last year 96 teams of four, totaling 388 staff, faculty and students, competed in the Anne Carragher Fitness & Wellness Challenge. “As always, the students were our biggest group with 45 teams followed closely by SU staff (36), and we were happy to see a dozen or so SU faculty involved too,” she writes.

The way it works is participants earn points for doing a variety of healthy things. Last year's competitors collectively ate41,904 healthy meals, slept 97,776 hours (about 11 years) and drank 111,744 glasses of water.

SIGN UP NOW! Does this sound like something you’d like to be part of? There’s still time to register for the 2011 Fitness & Wellness Challenge. All you need is a team of four by Jan. 17. Click here to learn how to sign up.

Enhancements for the south end of campus

Q: Melisa of Career Services asked what was going on at the south end of campus—is this part of some initiative to add better entry spaces to SU?

A: Why, yes, as a matter of fact it's just that and more. Sari Graven, director of program and resource development in Facilities, confirms that much work has been done recently to better identify the south end of campus, enhance way-finding and improve security. Included in the upgrade are three new security cameras, six new building signs, more landscaping and hardscaping, new portal gates, a new staircase leading from Chardin to the sidewalk that parallels Logan Field and a new campus map. Graven says the enhancements are intended to bring a “better sense of identity to the south end of campus and to improve the safety of our students and faculty."